One drawback about downhill bikes is that going down hill is all they were designed to do. That’s all very well, but when it comes to the majority of terrain, if there’s not a shuttle service nearby, there’s inevitably going to be an uphill at the end. This reality has given birth to a new…

After riding hardtails cross-country and shunning the new Rock Shox Quadra 21R forks, my first full-suspension ride was a revelation. My mate Pete had managed to procure himself a GT LTS and I’ll never forget the sensation of being able to blast off sets of stairs like a waterfall. That was in 1994, and by…